The Sudan - 33

The celebrations continue, and we are invited out to a good-bye party for the same project manager. We are collected at 8pm by our driver and taken to a hotel in the center of Kassala. As we drive through the town (or is it a city?) I am surprised by the number of people on the streets. People taking an evening stroll in the balmy night air, people in road-side cafes drinking tea and chatting with friends. Brightly lit shop windows and some appear to be open. This is a very busy and social city, and i don’t know why i’m surprised - why shouldn’t it be?
A long row of tables have been prepared in the garden of the hotel. They are expecting a lot of people - 50? and the tables are already laid with bottles of water, bottles of fizzy drinks, flasks of tea and a plate each of stretch-wrapped party food for everyone. While we wait for the guest of honour to arrive I wander round the garden. There is a playground for children, complete with a donald duck climbing frame and slide, and a little zoo with some caged birds, monkeys and 2 thumping big tortoises. It is a very sweet little place for kids and not at all sad in the way that some kids zoos can be.
People are arriving. I have met many of them before from our interactions and meetings over the past few days, but i recognise few of them because they have come in their going-out clothes. Robed and Turbaned in crisp white, the men all look very smart. I like the way the Arabs wear their turbans; loose and casual. Everyone seems to tie his in a different way. I was particularly impressed earlier in the day when the leader of the tribe that we visited - who was clearly getting very hot - tipped his turban to one side in a very jaunty manner to allow some fresh air circulation. It looked very cool - in both senses of the word.
The men have brought their family with them too. The women - all quite beautiful and wearing brightly coloured shawls sit at one end of the table, while the men sit at the other, while the kids do what kids do.
The meal is basic - some fruit, some cake, popcorn, nuts - but nevertheless appropriate for the moment. I avoid the tea in the flasks that looked so milky you could almost see the cream settling to the top. The obligatory speeches are made and i hear my name mentioned twice (people smiled so i guessed all was still ok), a gift is presented (but not opened - a washing machine apparently) and then it is all over.
Everyone says goodbye and this is the time when the men and women chat with each other - its very relaxed.
Isha, our cook and guest house cleaner is here too and she and her friend need a lift back to the guesthouse with us, and they climb into the back of the pick up truck. The 3 of us in the vehicle offer our seats but they wont be persuaded and so i decide, much to their amusement, to join them in the flatbed. The journey back cant be more than 15 minutes, but driving through the streets in that warm night air with the moon shining down on me was a truly wonderful feeling. And at that moment i realise; i really do like Kassala